From AP news
Quote:
The 67-year-old al-Ghiriri belongs to the leadership class that was supposed to be the Americans' best ally in facing down Iraqi insurgents and rebuilding the country. But this farming town and two neighboring communities south of Baghdad have spun almost totally out of government control, with insurgents backed by local tribal leaders emerging as the real power...........
"Anyone can walk up to someone and shoot him dead now," says Adnan Fahd al-Ghiriri, a tribal leader from Mahmoudiyah. "Everyone will be too scared to do anything about it and the killer will walk away."............
On a recent trip, my traveling companion was an Iraqi with a farm in the area. Not that it'll help much, he warned; his local connections were scant protection against those known here as mujahedeen, or holy fighters.........
Jalab, who is in his late 60s and wears traditional Arab robes, speaks of his joy at Saddam's fall and his later disappointment over the behavior of U.S. troops in Iraq, especially their raids on Iraqi homes in search of insurgents.
"I know they are a superpower," he said, "but must they humiliate us like this?"
His son, Ahmed Faisal, chimed in: "How can you blame me for hating the Americans after they killed so many innocent Iraqis and forced their way into our homes?
"You cannot even blame me if I become a suicide bomber."
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This guy is pissed off because our soldiers raided private homes, trying to find the people that are walking up to cars and killing, undeterred. With this death before dishonor culture, predominant throughout the middle east, I think we can forget a rational settlement to anything.
In practical terms, no matter how noble our intentions, it’d be best to mind our own business. Declare a great victory and go look for Osama.
